Security blanket .com and other tales
Earlier in the day a friend brought up the topic of security blankets. I had one when I was a kid. It was a blue blanket meant for a full sized bed. When I was twenty my mom sent it along to me in a care package. I was surprised by how comfortable and right it felt to still have it fifteen years later. Now I’m about to be forty and I’ve given than old ratty blanket to the kids. Every once in a while I’ll curl up in it myself and reminisce about being young and feeling warm, safe, and comforted. Not everyone has a blankey, but most of us had a security blanket of some sort. They change over time. Mine changed. Security started to come in the form of electronic devices, but can cold metal and plastic really give you a sense of emotional comfort?
I don’t even go to the bathroom without technology anymore. Its become as much a part of me as the clothes I wear every day. The point of my blanket back in the day was to make me feel warm and safe. My kids feel warm and safe with the blanket, but it is hard to grasp how that could work for a kindle or another similar device. These things provide distraction, but the idea of the blanket is to make certain there is a feeling of safety and warmth and belonging. I’m not sure a digital security blanket would solve that problem.
Kids may need something to hold on to. They might also need distractions to keep them occupied in times and places where talking out of turn is bad. A device is good for that but seemingly bad for holding on tight and hugging. There is a purpose for everything, but not everything brings you the kind of security a kid needs.